The Gift
by becks89
Summary: Dawn's POV from when she's up on the tower. Kinda sad. Major Spoilers for Season 5.


Disclaimer:  Characters and story lines belong to Joss Whedon.

Timeline:  The Gift, Season 5.  SPOILERS

I was listening to my 'Once more with feeling' soundtrack, and the music for the Gift came on, and I got sad.  Then I got an idea.  This is going to be told from Dawn's Point of View, as she's up on the tower.  It's kind of sad, which is not ideal for Valentine's Day, but the theme of this story kind of is.  It's just this one chapter, I'm not continuing it.  It's just a one off thing.

Please review if you like it!

Love.  It's what makes the world go round, or so some say.  In my opinion, my life the last few months have been devoid of love.  I see it all around me, couples kissing in the streets, staring adoringly at each other as they do not see what is going on around them, lost in their own world.  Mother and child love, the mother looking to the child like it is the most special and important thing in the world, and probably in her mind, the child is.  There is friendly love, old and new friends chatting to each other in coffee cafes, sipping their coffee as they trade stories, as they comfort each other and congratulate each other at each triumph and tribulation.  

Until only a couple of months ago, I thought I was loved for who I was; I thought that my parents and my sister loved me because they had grown to love me.  Then, everything fell down on me as I learned that I was only loved because of a spell, their feelings were fake, not real.  Every single time I hear my sister talk about a memory, or every time when her friends talk about the time I did this or that, I am painfully reminded that the event did not happen.  Monks put fake memories into my friends brain, making it seem as if was there all along, while in actual fact, I was not.  Their love for me was made up by some monks with a spell, and when I learnt that, it hurt.  

But as I look around me, look at all the people who are fighting there life for me, I am reminded that I am loved.  Much of my life is not real, but almost a year of it is.  Everything we have been through, everything we have survived has brought us closer, and made our love for each other stronger.  Strong love, love of all kinds has to be tested, so that the senders and recipients of that love know how strong it is.

This is what this is.  A test.  And right now, all my friends are passing with flying colours.

"Dawn!"  My sister runs towards me, her blonde hair flying through the wind, an anxious look on her face.  Doc, turns around to face her, an evil grin on his face.  The dagger glints, light from the stars and moon reflects my red blood, and I wince in pain.

"This should be interesting."  Doc says, but Buffy does not even pause, she pushes him, and I can faintly hear him screaming as he falls, but I pay no heed.  With tears running down my face, I gasp as another burst of pain rushes through my body.

"Here."  Buffy whispers to me, her green eyes wide with horror.

"Buffy, it hurts."  I choke, and Buffy's gaze trails down my body, following the line of blood that drips off the platform edge, spilling on to the portal below.  

Buffy takes my hand and leads me carefully to the tower entrance, every move causing my cuts to erupt in pain.  I look back, and gasp.  The portal is large now, light from it showering us.  

"Go!"  Buffy shouts urgently as she looks at me.

"Buffy, it's started."

Buffy turns to see, and I see her eyes widen even further.  The portal glows even more, and if I was not at a near death situation, I would think it pretty.  A large bolt of lightening shoots through the sky and strikes the ground below.  Faintly, I can hear people screaming, but my mind is focusing on other things.  More bolts of lightening interrupts the dark sky, and below, my friends turn to look at the portal.  Willow and Tara hold each other desperately, Giles stares up at the portal, Xander holds Anya tightly in his arms and Spike rolls on the floor to miss a lightening strike the ground.

Buffy turns back to me, looking in disbelief at the world around her.  It's my fault.

"I'm sorry."  I say quietly, and Buffy shakes her head softly.

"It doesn't matter."

Horror reflects in her eyes, and I know immediately what I have to do.  Tears blurring my vision, I try to run past Buffy, but she grabs me, stopping me from doing what is right.

"What are you doing?"  

"I have to jump.  The energy."  I reply hurriedly.  

"It'll kill you."  She responds in horror.

"I know." Off her distressed look, I explain.  "Buffy, I know about the ritual.  I have to stop it."  I argue, but she shakes her head firmly, her eyes watering.

"No."  

"I have to, look at what is happening."  I say, as the tower shakes.  The portal is growing stronger now, bolts of lightening lighting up the sky, a dragon flies out of the portal, circling us.  It seems so surreal.

"Buffy, you have to let me go. Blood starts it, and until the blood stops flowing, it'll never stop."  I say.  I can taste salty tears in my mouth; I can feel the cool touch of the blood drenched dress against my skin, but most of all, I can feel my heart bursting with pain as my sister looks at me in anguish. "You know you have to let me.  It has to have the blood."

My friends, the people who have supported me through thick and thin stare up at us, and my sister gets a look of realization on her face.  She's got it, I think.  She's realized that I have to die for the portal to close.  But then, Buffy looks down at her friends, tears cascading down her flawless face.  And she looks peaceful.  And I realize.

"Buffy…no!"  I shout, and she grabs my shoulders and looks into my eyes, eyes which are so like my own.

_It's Summers blood.  Just like mine._

"Dawnie, I have to."  She says calmly.

"No!"  I protest stubbornly.  It can't be like this.

"Listen to me.  Please, there's not a lot of time, listen."

Those eyes, which are so like mine stare into my own, and I oblige.  I am dimly aware of the sun trying to rise, of the dragon still circling around us and the screams of terror on the ground.  I listen to what she is saying carefully, with every sentence my heart lurches inside, with every breath, tears increase their speed as they fall down my face, as I know these will be her last breaths.

_'…I know I care about you.  I know that I worry about you._

_You worry about me because you have to.  I'm your job.  Protect the key, right?'_

_'Are you ok?  Did she hurt you?_

_Why do you care?_

_Because I love you. You're my sister.'_

_'It's Summers blood.  Just like mine.'_

She kisses my cheek, her lips caressing the tear stained skin.  She turns and runs, blonde hair flying out behind her, angelic.  Because that's what she is.  My angel.

Buffy dives gracefully into the portal, and she hangs there, writhing in pain as the portal takes her blood.  My tears reflect her pain as I watch, the portal growing smaller with every drop it takes.  And I hear what she says to me as I watch her.

_Dawn, listen to me, listen._

_I love you.  I will always love you._

_But this is the work I have to do._

The portal shrinks and disappears.  The sun rises, casting a pink and orange glow across the sky.

_Tell Giles…tell Giles I figured it out.  And, and I'm okay._

Xander is holding Anya, his eyes watering at the sight.  Willow buries her face in Tara's chest; Giles looks with a saddened gaze, which breaks my heart.  Spike drops to the ground as the sunlight prevents him getting closer; he holds his head in his bloodied hands and starts to cry.  My sister's lifeless body lies on the debris.

_And give love to my friends._

Anya leans her head on Xander's chest, soft tears falling from his eyes wets her hair.  

_You have to take care of them now._

_You have to take care of each other._

Giles begins to cry, and I make my way down the stairs, tears blurring my vision.

_You have to be strong._

I don't feel strong.

_Dawn, the hardest thing in this world…is to live in it._

In my mind, I see her beautiful face, her soft green eyes, her expression telling me everything.  She's a fighter, a lover, a sister, and a friend.

_Be brave.  Live._

_For me.___

Love is tested.  Love has to be tested to find out how strong it is.  When I saw my sister dive off the tower, I knew how much she loved me.  My sister sacrificed herself for me.  She loved me.

Please review!


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